Four of the three musketeers

Before film made them international comedy legends, Chico, Harpo, Groucho, Gummo, and Zeppo Marx developed their comic skills on stage for twenty-five years. Bader offers the first comprehensive history of the Marx Brother's hardscrabble early years honing their act in front of live audiences. From Groucho's debut in 1905 to their final live performances of scenes from A Night in Casablanca in 1945, Bader shows how their characters and routines evolved before their arrival in Hollywood, as well as illuminating the inner workings of the vaudeville business, especially during its peak in the 1920s.